Flap type electronic automatic transmission lever

Abstract

A flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus may include a console, a shift flap unit electrically connected to a transmission control unit (TCU) of a vehicle at a center of the console, and having at last four or more shift flaps, touch sensor units, each including a shift sensor disposed at a center of a corresponding shift flap, a forward-turn sensor disposed at an upper portion of the corresponding shift flap, and a rearward-turn sensor disposed at a lower portion of the corresponding shift flap, a shafts, each connected to a bottom of the corresponding shift flap to enable the corresponding shift flap to turn, step motors, each connected to one end of corresponding shaft, and shaft-fixing portions, each connected to an opposite end of the corresponding shaft.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus comprising:
 a console; 
 a shift flap unit electrically connected to a transmission control unit (TCU) of a vehicle at a center of the console, and having at least four or more shift flaps; 
 touch sensor units each disposed on a corresponding shift flap of the shift flap unit, wherein each said touch sensor unit includes a shift sensor disposed at a center of the corresponding shift flap to detect a first touch, a forward-turn sensor disposed at an upper portion of the corresponding shift flap to detect a second touch, and a rearward-turn sensor disposed at a lower portion of the corresponding shift flap to detect a third touch; 
 shafts, each connected to a bottom of the corresponding shift flap to enable the corresponding shift flap to turn; 
 step motors, each connected to one end of the corresponding shaft; and 
 shaft-fixing portions, each connected to an opposite end of the corresponding shaft, 
 wherein, when the forward-turn sensor disposed on the corresponding shift flap senses the second touch, the corresponding shift flap is turned forward by the corresponding step motor, and, when the rearward-turn sensor disposed on the corresponding shift flap senses the third touch, the corresponding shift flap is turned rearward by the corresponding step motor. 
 
     
     
       2. The flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the shift flap unit includes a parking-flap (P), a reverse-flap (R), a neutral-flap (N), and a drive-flap (D) and further includes a high range flap or a low range flap. 
     
     
       3. The flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein when an engine of the vehicle is started, the parking-flap remains horizontal and the remaining shift flaps are turned toward the parking-flap by corresponding step motors. 
     
     
       4. The flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein when an engine of the vehicle is stopped, all of the shift flaps of the shift flap unit are turned to a horizontal position by the step motors. 
     
     
       5. The flap type electronic automatic transmission lever apparatus of  claim 1 , further including light sources disposed under the shift flaps, respectively,
 wherein a current shift range is seen by turning on only the light source under the shift flap corresponding to the current shift range of the vehicle.